"I'm sorry to disturb you, Ms.Jordan."Claire’s assistant placed a small black gift bag on her desk with a smile.
"What's this?"Claire asked.
"I don't know."The woman shrugged.
"Where'd it come from?"
“No idea.I left to refill my coffee cup and when I came back, it was sitting on my desk."
"Interesting."Claire pulled a card from the folds of brightly colored tissue paper peeking out from the top of the bag."Thank you, Anna."
"No problem."The young woman smiled again before softly closing the door.
It didn't matter that Claire's inner cat had nine lives.Curiosity killed every single one of them in record time.She ripped open the envelope, immediately recognizing the handwriting on the small note card contained within.An interesting combination of cursive and print.
Claire,
Organizing some things at my home back in L.A.and came across this.Thought you might enjoy it.Would love to meet up for lunch today if you're free.That little Italian food place that’s a few blocks from your office building?I’ve reserved a table for 12:30.I really hope you’ll join me.You’ve been on my mind a lot.
Jay
Her heart flipped with excitement.She reached inside the bag, having no idea what she would find.She wrapped her hand around a familiar shape and smiled as she pulled a CD case into view.A Night with Nancy:Live from Sydney Opera House.One of the pianist's early works and a recording that Claire surprisingly didn't own.Upon further inspection she found Ms.Chen's autograph, positioned neatly in the lower right-hand corner.
Well, well…
She couldn't contain her smile as she reread the words on his note.He was most certainly a day late.Christmas and New Year’s had come and gone.Four whole months had passed since their last meeting without a single word from him.She struggled to make it through the holidays, overcome with intense guilt at the anniversary of Calvin’s accident.She’d yet to contact him but still checked Google for news about him on a regular basis.Now, this unexpected and thoughtful gesture from Jay provided a band-aid to heal months of doubt and confusion.
Her eleven o’clock meeting would be starting soon.Would it wrap up in enough time to make the lunch date?Did she even want to go?The disappointment she’d felt for months had begun to subside.She’d even gone on a couple of blind dates, though she hadn’t made a connection—at least, not a Jay Avery level connection.
She dropped the CD back into the gift bag but held onto the card.Tucking it inside her day planner, she grabbed a copy of the morning agenda from her printer before exiting her office.
The meeting seemed to go on forever.Twelve items to cover on the list in front of her, and she'd only checked off five.She'd been unable to concentrate, squirming in the swivel chair, doodling on a notepad, and slipping out twice for a trip to the water fountain.She tapped her fingernails against the top of her day planner, fighting the urge to take another peek at the note hiding inside.Isaac droned on, most of what he said going unchallenged.The same conversation drifted without direction around the conference table for another five minutes.Claire dropped her gaze down and eyed her watch.She had only a few minutes to make it to the restaurant on time.
"Sophie?"Claire whispered to the woman on her left, bringing her hand to her forehead.
"Are you okay?"the woman asked.
"I'm not feeling very well.Would you mind taking notes for me?"She continued to rub her head, feigning illness.
"Of course,” the woman said.“You do seem a little out of sorts."
"Could you please let Isaac know and apologize to him for me?"
"Sure.I hope you feel better."
"Thank you."Claire offered what she hoped appeared to be a pained smile.
Once back inside her office, she pulled the card from her day planner and consulted her watch once more.Eight minutes.Not much time, but thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t far.She collected her purse and jacket and hurried out.At the main doors, she ran into Anna.
"That was fast—by Isaac standards, I mean," she said, with a look of surprise.
"It's not over," Claire whispered.
"You were excused?"the young woman asked, puzzled.
"Not exactly.”Claire pressed an index finger against her mouth as she shook her head, signaling the need for quiet.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with that mysterious black bag, would it?"Anna whispered back, her eyes wide with curiosity.
